ISSAQUAH – Even before her father’s long, proud embrace, Kamelai Powell couldn’t hold back the tears.
The year before Powell arrived as a freshman, the Hudson’s Bay girls basketball team won just two games.
Now, the junior and her teammates are headed somewhere the program hasn’t been since 2007 – the Tacoma Dome.
The No. 14-seeded Eagles rallied from a 13-point first-half deficit to beat No. 11 Meadowdale 55-49 in the 3A state regionals on Saturday at Issaquah High.
The win moves Hudson’s Bay into the round of 12 at the Tacoma Dome, where the Eagles will face No. 6 Lake Washington in a loser-out game on Wednesday.
Bay (19-7) has only been this far once in four trips to state. The Eagles reached the state quarterfinals in 2007.
“For us to be going there is really rewarding for us because we’ve worked for it,” Powell said. “All of us have earned it.”
Hudson’s Bay star Jaydia Martin did her job, scoring 22 points to lead all scorers.
But the Eagles also got a huge boost from senior Ashley Rodriguez, who scored a season-high 12 points including two crucial 3-pointers in the fourth quarter.
Rodriguez’s second 3-pointer broke a 49-49 tie. She followed with an outside jumper, giving the Eagles a 54-49 lead with 1:00 to play.
Rodriguez didn’t play last year while pregnant. Saturday, she beamed with pride for her two families – the one at home and the one on the court.
“Having my daughter behind the bench, I’m such a proud person to be on the court,” Rodriguez said. “Even when I don’t play much, I’m here to support because I love being on this team.”
That love rang through the Issaquah High student commons, where the Eagles gathered after Saturday’s win. Players and their student fans loudly sang the school’s fight song.
“Eagle Born and Eagle Bred,” indeed.
“We have a lot of passion and we play for each other,” Martin said. “Before we came out, we said that we have to play for each other. It’s not an individual game, it’s for everybody.”
Hudson’s Bay trailed for most of the first half. Lilly Williams made three 3-pointers during an 11-0 run that gave Meadowdale a 27-14 lead. Williams finished with 15 points, all on 3-pointers, as Meadowdale of Lynnwood saw its season end at 17-8.
Hudson’s Bay ended the second quarter on a 7-1 run, pulling within 28-21 at halftime. The Eagles hung close in the third quarter then stepped up in the fourth, outscoring Meadowdale 20-10 in the quarter.
The Eagles took a big step last season when they reached the state playoffs for the first time since 2007.
Now, with a ticket to the Tacoma Dome punched, the program’s rebuilding is complete.
“I’m still kind of in shock that we’ve even got here, to be honest,” Martin said. “We’ve put in all the work that we have and it has paid off. We’re showing all the haters because now we’re headed to the Dome, which nobody expected.”
HUDSON’S BAY (19-7) – Jaydia Martin 22, Ashley Rodriguez 12, Paytin Ballard 5, Mahaila Harrison 4, Kamelai Powell 12, Stacia Mikaele 0. Totals 21 (6) 7-14 55.
MEADOWDALE (17-8) –Jenaly Gabriel 2, Kaisha Stark 7, Ava Powell 4, Lilly Williams 15, Alicia Morrison 4, Soriah Swinton 7, Fatoumata Jaiteh 10. Totals 19 (7) 4-12 49.
Hudson’s Bay 10 11 14 20—55
Meadowdale 11 17 11 10—49
